What Launching a Facebook Live Show Taught Me About Media

I recently rolled out a Facebook Live news show that I create using a great Facebook Live for Mac software called Ecamm Live. I did the project because I wanted to get the word out about that software for the guys who create it, but something has really clicked with me. I’m really loving the process of creating the show.

What’s really cool, though, is that it’s opening up new lines of communication and reconnecting people with my business and also bringing more people back in touch with me. I wanted to give you all the lessons I’ve gathered (so far) about creating my Facebook Live news show and maybe even encourage you to create your own show, too!

Lessons Learned From Launching a Facebook Live News Show

I shape the narrative – This is MY news show. I don’t feel like talking about all the bad news. Instead, I have a kind of criteria for which articles and stories I share. The only news I cover is that which I find future-facing, culturally enriching, or technology that improves human interaction for businesses.

The NEW news opportunity is to be more real – Lately, I see so much of our culture playing from the 1980s/1990s rulebook of how to communicate. Life isn’t that way any more. We MUST adapt if we want to keep people’s attention. Part of that is being the REAL you, not some polished version. Be excellent at what you do, but be human.

Automate so I can focus on the good stuff – I use Feedly to find my stories, Evernote to make the list, and TextWrangler to format the links I’ve gathered before I post them on my news page. I’m getting faster at the repetitive parts and this helps.

WHEN doesn’t matter – This is counter-intuitive. It’s called “Facebook LIVE,” but hey. We live in a DVR culture. I post the show to Facebook, and then upload it to YouTube, and then update my blog with the video after it’s ready to embed. I don’t really care if you’re there live (though I love it when you are). I just want you to have the news.

I have to be interesting – It’s not good enough that you have the technology to make a Facebook Live show. You have to be interesting. I work hard to make sure the mix of topics is worth it, that I deliver them in a useful way, and that I interact enough to make the show feel vibrant. (This is also where I need to step up my game.)

A little prep goes a long way – I mentioned that automation was helpful. In general, if I pre-read the article, I sound smarter about its content when I present the story. The more I prepare, the better the show comes off. I look and feel smarter if I’m prepared.

The more I do it, the better I get – Because it’s super easy to just fire up Ecamm Live and launch, I’m compelled to practice (live in front of you) more and more. This gives me a whole skill set that’s useful because doing a LIVE show is very different than being able to edit. I can use this in a variety of ways. THAT is valuable.

Should YOU Make a Facebook Live Show?

If you ask Mark Zuckerberg, the answer is yes. I don’t want to say that. Why? Because I don’t want garbage cluttering the Facebooks and thus people will really have to sift through it to find something worthwhile.

My answer is yes IF you have something you want to share.

You Can Break ALL The Rules

Think about these details:

Your show doesn’t have to have a specific length.

Your show doesn’t have to be about a specific topic.

Heck, you can make a new show every day if you want.

You can make episodes when you feel like it (though consistency does evidently count a little bit.

You don’t have to look and feel and sound like the old TV. You can be new. Your “news desk” can be a picnic table. You can dress your set however you want. You can speak however you want.

Provided you can entertain, inform, and connect with people, there’s a great chance that it can help you earn more viewers.

Is This Good For Business?

Something like Facebook Live is a tool. Like I said in my list of 21 Facebook Live Shows I Want You To Make, there are a lot of ways to build business. You can use the show to develop attention for your projects. You can build sponsors into the show. You can create a show that’s ready-made for a particular brand or industry and partner with them. The options are pretty broad.

What’s the Down Side?

If I had to point out a potential negative to this kind of project, it’s simply that people will half-ass this and add it to some kind of weird “cluster up your junk drawer” approach to content creation. For every great invention, there’s a way to use it poorly.

If you’re going to bother making a show, try to connect with people and be useful. That’s all that I ask. Make it worth it by honoring the time of the people you hope to reach.

(And if ever you’re stuck, drop me an email: chris@chrisbrogan.com)

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Chris Brogan

CEO of Owner Media Group

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